From Amazon.com
The Blue Cliff Record is a collection of Chinese koan, cryptic Zen stories that point the way to enlightenment. Monks would (and still do) spend days, months, even years on a single koan, ruminating over it, plumbing its depths--not trying to figure it out, but letting it open a door inside of them. Over the centuries, masters have attempted to help the process along by adding their own remarks. Translator Thomas Cleary tells us that two of the most important commentators on the Blue Cliff Record have been the Japanese Hakuin Ekaku of the Rinzai lineage and Tenkei Denson of the Soto. In
Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record, Cleary includes the core elements of the original Blue Cliff Record and selections from the extensive work of these two commentators. The result is not exactly a CliffsNotes, as the reading is still arduous. Even the comments can be cryptic and in need of comment. But the more fingers pointing at the moon, the easier it is to find.
--Brian Bruya
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"Authentic traditions of commentary have been hard to find—until this fluidly translated work, which includes commentaries by two of the greatest Zen masters of early modern Japan . . . their words shine light on this deep and extraordinary work."—
Tricycle "These commentaries make the challenges of the Zen masters available to the spiritually courageous among us."—
Bodhi Tree Book Review
